Letter: First Amendment

By Nancy Murdoch, New Bern

Published: Saturday, May 24, 2014 at 07:34 PM.

Recently some individuals have been punished for exercising their right to free speech. Apparently many are offended by those who do not agree with them, and feel their offense must be protected. “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it” once was a very liberal idea, and a mantra of those who prized freedom. Now, sadly, those words are out of fashion with the so called liberals, preferring political correctness over liberty.

Much of this type of thinking stems from our colleges and universities where it has become quite in vogue to promote political correctness over critical thought. Instead of being a level field for the discussion of ideas, the academic and media elite consider anything with which they disagree, or causes someone emotional distress to be fair game for derision, and if possible, to be squashed. Many on the left would ban any word or thought with which they disagree, but think nothing of engaging in name calling and hateful speech of their own. Unfortunately, there are a number who are unwilling or too afraid to speak up against this type of behavior. After all, we have seen punitive action, including job loss, lawsuits and media derision, heaped upon those who have not toed the political correctness line. Many fail to see this as the type of behavior that once was associated with totalitarian governments, and more in line with Nazism and Communism than the freedom identified with the United States.

For all their cheap talk about tolerance and diversity, many on the left would silence every opinion that does not mirror their own. Sadly they are incapable of seeing those actions as the height of hypocrisy. Of late, much of the media engages in behavior similar to that of the Westboro Baptist Church. In attempts to create their idea of Utopia, we are losing our liberty to the left who would control us. Have we reached the point in America that not being offended is more important than liberty?

Nancy Murdoch, New Bern

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Recently some individuals have been punished for exercising their right to free speech. Apparently many are offended by those who do not agree with them, and feel their offense must be protected. “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it” once was a very liberal idea, and a mantra of those who prized freedom. Now, sadly, those words are out of fashion with the so called liberals, preferring political correctness over liberty.

Much of this type of thinking stems from our colleges and universities where it has become quite in vogue to promote political correctness over critical thought. Instead of being a level field for the discussion of ideas, the academic and media elite consider anything with which they disagree, or causes someone emotional distress to be fair game for derision, and if possible, to be squashed. Many on the left would ban any word or thought with which they disagree, but think nothing of engaging in name calling and hateful speech of their own. Unfortunately, there are a number who are unwilling or too afraid to speak up against this type of behavior. After all, we have seen punitive action, including job loss, lawsuits and media derision, heaped upon those who have not toed the political correctness line. Many fail to see this as the type of behavior that once was associated with totalitarian governments, and more in line with Nazism and Communism than the freedom identified with the United States.

For all their cheap talk about tolerance and diversity, many on the left would silence every opinion that does not mirror their own. Sadly they are incapable of seeing those actions as the height of hypocrisy. Of late, much of the media engages in behavior similar to that of the Westboro Baptist Church.
In attempts to create their idea of Utopia, we are losing our liberty to the left who would control us. Have we reached the point in America that not being offended is more important than liberty?